BAGHDAD, April 23 (Xinhua) -- Iraq was rocked by two
suicide bombings which killed 76 people and wounded some 120 others on Thursday
as the security forces announced the capture of a suspected top leader of
al-Qaida in Iraq network.
The most deadly attack occurred near the town of
Maqdadiyah, some 100 km northeast of Baghdad, in the volatile province of
Diyala, when a suicide bomber struck Iranian Shiite pilgrims inside a restaurant
during lunch time.
Residents gather at the site of a
suicide bombing in Baghdad April 23, 2009. A suicide bomber wearing a vest
stuffed with explosives blew himself up in a group of police distributing
relief supplies in Baghdad on Thursday, killing at least 28 people
and wounding 50, Iraqi police said. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>
About 48 people were killed, during which 43 are
Iranian pilgrims taking a rest in the restaurant after they crossed the border
through the Mundhriyah border point in Diyala to visit the holy Shiite shrines
in Iraq, a provincial police source said.
Up to 70 others were wounded, 50 of them Iranians,
the source said on condition of anonymity.
The blast destroyed parts of the restaurant and badly
damaged several civilian vehicles, he said.
It is the single deadliest attack since December last
year when a suicide bombing killed about 50 people in a restaurant near the
northern city of Kirkuk.
In Baghdad, a suicide bomber blew his explosive belt
among a crowd of policemen distributing Iraqi Red Crescent food parcels to
displaced families in Elwiyah area, part of Baghdad's central district of
Karradah.
A soldier investigates the site of
a suicide bombing in Baghdad April 23, 2009. A suicide bomber wearing a
vest stuffed with explosives blew himself up in a group of police
distributing relief supplies in Baghdad on Thursday, killing at
least 28 people and wounding 50, Iraqi police said. (Xinhua/AFP
Photo) Photo
Gallery>>>
The
attack claimed the lives of some 28 Iraqis and wounded 50 others, the police
said, adding that 12 policemen were among the killed and 10 others among the
wounded.
Shortly after the two suicide attacks, an Iraqi
security spokesman said security troops captured Abu Omer al-Baghdadi, one of
the most wanted top al-Qaida leaders.
Baghdadi is believed to be heading the Islamic State
of Iraq, a Qaida-led umbrella organization of extremist Sunni militants groups.
"Abu Omer al-Baghdadi, head of what so-called the
Islamic State of Iraq, has been captured in Baghdad," Qassim Atta, spokesman for
the Baghdad security plan told reporters, adding that Baghdadi will be
interrogated before putting on show on Iraqi television.
He said Iraqi security forces identified him at an
intersection in eastern Baghdad and that his arrest was based on intelligence
tips.
However, Baghdadi's capture could not be confirmed
yet as Iraqi security forces had reported Baghdadi's arrest in the past but
later said they made mistake.
In 2007, the U.S. military said Baghdadi could be a
fictitious character used by Qaida in Iraq network to show that an Iraqi is
leading the terrorist organization not foreigners.
Recently, deadly bombings increased dramatically in
Iraqi cities, raising fears that the war-torn country could again go back to
earlier stages of chaos and bloodshed.
The violence came only over a month ahead of a
withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from Iraqi cities by the June 30 deadline,
which some fear may incur a resurgence of violence. U.S. combat troops are
scheduled to leave Iraq by Aug. 31, 2010, and only some 35,000 to 50,000
soldiers will remain in the country for anti-terrorism duties.
Residents gather at the site of a
suicide bombing in Baghdad April 23, 2009. A suicide bomber wearing a vest
stuffed with explosives blew himself up in a group of police distributing
relief supplies in Baghdad on Thursday, killing at least 28 people
and wounding 50, Iraqi police said. (Xinhua/AFP Photo) Photo
Gallery>>>
BAGHDAD, April 23 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi security forces
captured top al-Qaida leader in Iraq, Abu Omer al-Baghdadi, an Iraqi security
spokesman said on Thursday. Full story
BAGHDAD, April 23 (Xinhua) -- A suicide bomber struck
Iraqi policemen in central Baghdad on Thursday, killing five people and wounding
16 others, including policemen, an Interior Ministry source said. Full story
BAGHDAD, April 23 (Xinhua) -- A suicide bomber struck
worshippers in a mosque in a Sunni town north of Baghdad, killing four people
and wounding ten others, a police source and witnesses said Thursday. Full story
WASHINGTON, April 14 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. troops may
remain in a Iraq city with instable security situation after June 30, 2010 if
they are requested by the Iraqi government, said a U.S. military official on
Tuesday. Full story
BAGHDAD, April 12 (Xinhua) -- A new wave of deadly
bombings struck Iraqi cities recently raising fears that the war-torn country
could again go back to earlier stages of chaos and bloodshed. Full story
